Integrity in the Incan Empire
by westwingwolf
Summary: Sequel to Friendly Asinus Advice. Jake decides to put Baird's good advice to use while exploring Machu Picchu with Cassandra. Post Loom of Fate.


**Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me. Also, I've never been to Peru so all information comes from Wikipedia.**

The mission in Lima ended up involving werewolves. If you had told Jake months ago he'd be chasing a werewolf through downtown Lima, he'd have told the bartender to cut you off. Luckily, no one had been hurt. The werewolf in question had actually been a teenage boy born a lycanthrope and unfortunately orphaned before his parents could explain his biology. They had managed to locate another family of werewolves who were willing to raise him and teach him everything he needed to know. Jake was comforted to know the kid had found a family who would accept him, and he could tell Cassandra felt the same way by her tearful smile.

Now they had taken time off to explore the city and surrounding areas. Jake had lot of fun explaining the architecture and cultural influences. Cassandra had listened to everything he said with rapt attention and Jones had managed to keep the sarcastic comments to a minimum. His favorite part had been the visit to the Park of the Reserve. He'd never forget the way Cassandra's eyes lit up while watching the Fantasia Fountain's laser show. She was a more beautiful sight than the synchronized light, water, and music show she watched.

A few days ago Jake & Cassandra had begun their journey to Machu Picchu. They tried to convince Jones to come along, but he was adamant about having more important things to explore than, in his own words, 'some old buildings.' Admittedly, Cassandra had tried harder than Jake.

They had reached the point in their hike where they could look down upon the ancient city and were both awed by the landscape. Jake had taken Cassandra's hand to help lift her to their spot, and he hadn't let go of it yet. She looked down at their hands, but opted not to say anything to Jake who was using his other hand to point out the Temple of the Sun. She moved closer to him to get a better look. Jake had been explaining the cultural significance the temple had to the Incan people when he suddenly stopped midsentence. She turned her head to ask why he stopped, and they were now staring into each other's eyes. Suddenly embarrassed, he looked down and noticed their hands. He gave her a hand a gentle squeeze and slowly let go. Then he backed up to give her some space. The hand she had been holding was now rubbing the back of his neck while he cautiously looked at her. He swallowed a breath before asking "Are you… are you ready to venture back down the mountain so we can get closer? ..." He coughed, "I mean have a closer look."

Cassandra nodded, "But would you mine holding my hand on the way down. I'm afraid I might trip." He smiled and held out his hand which she eagerly took before he led them back down the mountain and into the ancient city.

As they reached the city Cassandra stated, "I can't believe Ezekiel wanted to miss this just to investigate some gold mines." From the moment they landed in Peru, he had been trying to convince them the mission had a connection to one of the larger gold mines in the country. Now that the case was solved, he hadn't bothered with subtlety. Not that either Jake or Cassandra was fooled for a moment.

"Yeah, I can't believe that worked," Jake muttered.

"What?"

"I said I can't believe… the work…that was put into building this place… so long ago. It's amazing, right?" When Cassandra agreed, he let go of the breath he'd been holding in. Jake might have taken a few dozen times to remind Ezekiel that Peru was the fifth largest supplier of gold.

They walked around for an hour or so. Neither had bothered to let go of the other's hand or comment on it. Jake explained more of the Incan history, and Cassandra commented on their calendar system and mathematics. Jake had been talking about ceramics when he noticed Cassandra appeared sad. "What's wrong? Do you have a headache? Should we head back?"

"No. It's nothing like that. It's quite calming to hear you talk about all of this." She gestured around them; and he smiled in that cute, shy way he has. "I was just thinking about how wonderful this trip has been and how upset I'll be when you and Ezekiel go back to your lives. You still want to see your family, right?"

"Oh, well, this has been a lot of fun. I kinda don't want it to end. I thought maybe we could go on another mission together. Take a page out of my clippings book this time." He barely had moment to worry she'd say no before she screamed happily and jumped into his arms.

In her excitement, she pulled back too quickly for him, followed by a twirl while clapping her hands together. "Great! So when we get back we'll talk to Ezekiel and then we'll…"

He interrupted her before she could plan anymore, "Actually, Jones mentioned something about wanting to check out the new exhibit for the Antiquities floor of the Cairo Museum. How about this next mission is just for the two of us?"

"You would be fine working alone with me?" she asked unsurely.

"Yeah, I trust ya," he answered without hesitation. At her surprised gasp, he realized just how much of an ass he had been. "I've trusted you for a while now, Cassie. I should've told you sooner. Should've said a lot of things. I'm sorry I waited so long."

Cassandra stared back at him. "It's okay. You had your reasons. I know what it feels like not being as close as you want to your family."

Jake reached for her hand again. He traced small circles on the inside of her palm with his thumb. "You had your reasons too. It was wrong of me to presume I know what I'd do in your situation. Thinking about it now, I know I'd do whatever it takes to find you a cure. I want you to know I see us on equal footing. And I hope now that I finally got my head out of my ass, you can see me as your equal too. If I ever upset you again, tell me, and I'll do what it takes to make it right."

"For what it's worth, I've always seen us as equals. So let's both promise to be honest with each other and do what it takes to make sure we stay that way."

"Deal." He said with a full smile which she returned. Gathering his courage, he continued, "In the interest of total honesty, I want to tell you…I like you as more than a friend. I think…I know… I'm falling in love with you. That probably seems strange considering I only just admitted…"

Jake's comments were interrupted by the feel of Cassandra's lips on his. He closed his eyes concentrated on the other sensations around him. The smell of her body lotion and shampoo. The touch of her hands combing through his hair. The way the fabric of her dress felt as he grasped it in his hands. But the best part was the taste of her lips and the pressure from her tongue. He wanted to commit all of it to memory, and felt secure in the knowledge she was doing the same.

They only allowed each other to pull back just a bit so they could breathe. Foreheads touching and arms still wrapped around each other, they slowly opened their eyes. It thrilled Jake to describe Cassandra's smile as if she had found Santa at a STEM fair.

Jake maneuvered them so they could look out over the view with Cassandra leaning into his side. They still hadn't dropped their arms from around each other. After a few moments of standing comfortably in silence, Cassandra asked, "So what would you have done if Ezekiel hadn't gone with your suggestion of visiting the gold mines?"

Her only answer was the sound of Jake's laughter.

The End


End file.
